Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “the future of transportation.” To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
I was out for a few days last week and we have quite a bit to do! I won’t review too much, but I’m waiting for a few big news – ahem, Wayve’s $1.2 billion – to get in here.
Another housekeeping note: I’ll be in Austin next week SXSWan annual event of technology, music, film, and culture that always attracts an interesting group of technology innovators, creators, politicians, and other industry people. I plan to attend the Rivian event, where the company is expected to reveal the full details of its R2 lineup. I will also moderate a panel called Innovation & Impact: Female Leaders Transforming Legacy Industries, in parallel Rivian UCFO Claire McDonough, Madison Reed CEO and founder Amy Errett, and Spotify senior public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins. If you are, please get in touch!
Speaking of Rivian, the company plans to speed up the launch of a new all-electric vehicle in the US along with its upcoming R2 SUV. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane looked at Rivian’s 2026 sales and product history. Rivian said it expects to sell between 20,000 and 25,000 R2s this year, with the first heading to customers in June when production begins.
That means it has six months to reach that goal. Even if the Rivian hits the low end of that target, its sales rate will outpace all comparable electric vehicles at or below $60,000 except for the Tesla Model Y, O’Kane wrote. Read the full story here.
My question is what strategic move does Rivian plan to use to achieve that goal? It won’t be enough to simply say, “Closing request, stupid.” This is no small thing. I expect Rivian to try various tactics to spread the word and turn interest in its EVs into real sales. What do you think the company will do? Send me an email!
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA
|
October 13-15, 2026
A small bird
No little birds this week – or at least we can share them. Remember, if you have a tip for us, you can email me at [email protected] or reach me via Signal at kkorosec.07. Sean O’Kane’s email is [email protected]
Deals!
This came up last week, but it’s worth commenting on. What am I talking about? He heard and its revenue of $1.2 billion (up to $1.5 billion if it can unlock a $300 million equity investment from Uber). As I mentioned in my article, everyone seems to want a piece of this UK startup, which is now valued at around $8.6 billion.
Wayve takes a different approach to automated driving. It doesn’t want to be an operator. Instead it wants to license its software — both a fully automated driving product and a smaller one with capabilities aimed at advanced driver assistance systems — to automakers and robotaxi operators. Wayve has taken a self-learning approach to its software. The company has developed a software layer using an end-to-end neural network that does not require high-definition maps and only uses data to teach the car how to drive. It is hardware agnostic, which may appeal to Wave supporters Mercedes-Benz, Nissanagain Stellantis.
Some deals caught my attention…
Densoauto parts supplier Toyota Motor has proposed to take over Kyoto chip maker Rohm, the WSJ reported.
Einridethe Swedish startup known for building both electric trucks and autonomous pods designed to carry cargo, has received an oversubscribed PIPE of $113 million (private investment in public equity) ahead of the public launch, expected in the first half of 2026.
The Harbinger has acquired autonomous driving software company Phantom AI. Terms were not disclosed.
HolyvoltSwedish battery technology company backed by Volvo, has acquired battery equipment company Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a deal worth $73 million.
Momentathe Chinese autonomous car developer backed by GM and Tencent Holdings, has filed privately for a public offering in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports. The company may want to raise at least $1 billion in its IPO.
By namea software startup that helps defense, space, energy, and automotive companies evaluate their manufacturing processes, has raised $80 million in a Series B expansion round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Founders Fund.
Toyota raised the value of the Toyota Industries supplier to $30 billion.
Zenoan African startup, has raised $25 million in a Series A round to expand its app-controlled battery swapping network and produce more Emara motorcycles. About $20.5 million of that was an equity fundraising led by Congruent Ventures with participation from Active Impact and Lowercarbon Capital. The remaining $4.5 million is a credit facility from Camber Road and Trifecta Capital.
Notable readings and other stories
Chinese automaker BYD introduced a new battery pack that it claims can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes. This is certainly a game changer, but there is an important caveat to this claim: We need a specific EV charger.
Hyundai, Toyotaand Chinese car manufacturers like Chery likely to face the greatest impact of the US-Israel war with Iran, as the Middle East accounts for a significant percentage of its deliveries, according to analysis from Bernstein, CNBC reported.
Volkswagen Group passed the EV milestone this week. The company said it has delivered 4 million electric vehicles since launching its first model in 2013. Part of that comes from the Volkswagen company. The remaining sales came from Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Porsche.
The video shows a Waymo robot blocked an ambulance as it responded to the scene of a mass shooting in Austin over the weekend. A spokesperson for Austin-Travis-County EMS told Axios that the officer followed protocol to manage the situation and was able to quickly remove the vehicle. Waymo did not provide a statement to the stores at the time. The incident is the latest in which a first responder has been used to move Waymo and raises questions about the technology’s readiness.
One thing…
I National Highway Traffic Safety Administration organized a forum on the safety of private vehicles on Tuesday. A who’s who of AV leaders expected to attend, incl Aurora founder and CEO Chris Urmson, Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana, and Zoox CEO Aicha Evans.
